Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 78
It is clear that, even if the Government decides to proceed with the decisions taken...
Conclusion
It is clear that, even if the Government decides to proceed with the decisions taken in the IR and the Defence Command Paper, the timeline of changes ought also to be reviewed given the potential for capability gaps which leave the UK Armed Forces vulnerable. We are especially concerned about the proposed cuts to personnel numbers and the effective reduction in mass, particularly since that we are seeing Defence being used more and more often as an emergency measure to relieve exceptional pressures on public services and perform such tasks that otherwise might be expected to be carried out by others. In this context, we welcome the decision by the new Chief of the General Staff to describe the cuts as “perverse” and, as a first step, the Secretary of State’s seeming acknowledgement of the need to review the decision.
Government Response Summary
The government stated that the Army will have a whole force of over 100,000, continues to monitor the security environment in Eastern Europe, and the Army keeps its plans under review. There are currently no plans to reverse the Army’s reduction in regular personnel, but the Army regularly assesses the balance of people, capability, and activity in line with the threats and available resources.
Paragraph Reference:
78
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The IR has set the Armed Forces on a course of transformation to meet the threats of the future. This, and the Defence Command Paper, made it clear that we must focus on capabilities rather than troop numbers. Through Future Soldier, the Army will have a whole force of over 100,000 comprising of 73,000 Regular Service Personnel and 30,100 Army Reserve. However, the number of people required to deliver the same effect has reduced through history with the integration of emerging technology and we expect this trend to continue. Therefore Future Soldier also recognises those technologies that will provide both competitiveness and offset through evolved digitisation of the Army; long range intelligence, surveillance, targeting and fires capabilities; air defence capabilities against crewed and uncrewed threats; aviation systems; next generation combat vehicles; enhanced lethality programmes; and greater use of technology to enhance the training of our soldiers. Throughout the Army will continue to recruit the diverse talent that it needs to harness these technologies and capabilities effectively and maintain a competitive advantage now and in the future. Tanks and other armoured vehicles will remain central to the Army’s warfighting capability but mass is not the only factor; the war in Ukraine has shown us that combined arms operations are most successful when forces are appropriately trained and integrated. Therefore we continue to monitor the security environment in Eastern Europe closely and the Army keeps its plans under review accordingly: under Op MOBILISE it is currently analysing where it is appropriate to accelerate its modernisation programme to maximise the readiness of our forces. Throughout the Army’s capabilities will be increased through increased integration both across the UK’s Armed Forces and alongside those of our partners and allies who would respond should Russia initiate a further conflict. There are currently no plans to reverse the Army’s reduction in regular personnel. However, as the Secretary of State has stated, as the threat changes, we need to change with it. Minded of affordability and as a dynamic institution, the Army regularly assesses the balance of people, capability, and activity in line with the threats and available resources.